HOPE DEFERRED


A. "HOPE DEFERRED MAKETH THE HEART SICK; BUT WHEN THE DESIRE COMETH, IT IS A TREE OF LIFE" - PROV. 13:12
  1. The words of our text are:
    1. Based upon the experience common to man
    2. They reveal human impatience when our expectations are delayed
  2. But then again, when our desire is fulfilled:
    1. Joy and heartfelt gratitude fills our hearts
    2. That, too, is normal for humans B. "HOPE DEFERRED MAKETH THE HEART SICK"
  3. Hope - what is it?
    1. Webster says, "desire with expectation of obtaining what is desired, or belief that it is obtainable. Ground or source of happy expectation - trust and confidence"
    2. What men say hope is
  4. "Hope springs eternal in the human breast; man never is, but always to be blessed" - Pope
  5. "Religion is the mother of dreams; over the gray world, ruined by deluge and death, it is sought ever and found the arching rainbow of hope" - A.E. Haydon
  6. "Hope is life and life is hope" - Adele Shreve
  7. "Hope is love's happiness, but not its life" - L.E. Landon
    1. To me, hope is the spark that keeps man's faith alive and active - for where there is no hope faith has no foundation
  8. What the Bible teaches about hope:
    1. Hope, says someone, is planted as an instinct in the human heart - "Thou didst make me hope when I was in my mother's breast says the Psalmist - Ps. 22:9
    2. It is the source of great strength and joy "We are saved by hope" - Rom. 8:24
    3. Hope is one of the Trinity of Bible Christianity - "Faith, hope, and charity" - I Cor. 13:13
  9. Sin has introduced disappointment:
    1. We must regard this as one part, and one very serious part, of the penalty of sin
    2. Sin brought delay to the hope of our heavenly Father - nearly six thousand years
    3. Sin broke connection with God and thus it deferred hope - Is. 59:1-3; Luke 19:41-44 C. BUT WHEN THE DESIRE COMETH, IT IS A TREE OF LIFE
  10. The abiding hope of God's children:
    1. Centers in God's promises - "For he is faithful that promised" - Heb. 10:23
    2. All God's promises in Christ are yea and in him are Amen unto the glory of God by us. 2 Cor. 1:20
  11. But, we know that all God's promises are conditional:
    1. This writer knows of no promises in the Bible that are unconditional
    2. Loving obedience to the perfect will of God is one of the conditions - Is. 1:19-20
  12. The abiding hope of God's children:
    1. Focuses upon the things of the world to come - including the happy reunion of our loved ones - Jer. 31:15-17; 2 Thes. 2:1-3
    2. It will be then that our hope will blossom into eternal and unspeakable joy
    3. Note what some of the writers of the Bible forecast of the experience of God's children, who's hope has been deferred - "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream; then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing" - Ps. 126:1-2; "For thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood" - Is. 54:4-5
  13. Let us, therefore, set our hope, not on things transitory, but upon the things which are eternal:
    1. Writes Peter, "We are looking for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" - 2 Pet. 3:13
    2. This is what the children of God did in all ages; they freely confessed that they were pilgrims and strangers in this present world; they were looking for a better world - Heb. 11:14-17
  14. Someday, I shall understand:
    1. Just why our prayers did not bring health to our loved ones
    2. Just why the Lord allowed the dear sister to fall asleep when we had hoped she would get well again and be with us a while longer
    3. Could we see the end from the beginning, we would gladly recognize the good will of our Father


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